At the beginning of the holiday I was faced with weeks of blank canvas, and wondered how the hell I was going to entertain her. After all, we've got quite different hobbies. She likes making mud pies, eating worms, and climbing trees, whereas I have refined tastes, such as quaffing Bolly and eating reindeers. To all intents and purposes, it appeared that never the twain shall meet.
How wrong was I? She only said "I'm bored", once (when I was demonstrating how to change a wheel bearing), and we ended up having an absolute blast. So much so, that it was with a heavy heart that I dropped her off on her first day back at school.
Pic.No.1 Izzy's first day back at school. She has got this thing where she pulls her ankle socks up so that they finish half way up her shin. I told her that she looks like a geek, but she won't have it
But Huzzar! It wasn't all doom and gloom, because the week before Izzy went back to school, I managed to fit in another sneaky holiday. Apologies ....... I know I am going backwards ..... I'm confusing myself, if that's any consolation.
Back to the holiday. It all came about because I was chatting on the phone to my northern chum, Sarah.
"I'm knackered," she said, "I need a bloody holiday." [Sarah is always knackered you see. I am going to get her a t-shirt made with 'I'm knackered' printed on the front].
"Let's do it!" I shouted. "Where do you fancy going? Beirut? Machu Picchu?"
"I'm a bloody teacher," she replied, "I can't afford to go paying for flights willy nilly."
"So what are you suggesting?" I asked suspiciously.
"That we go somewhere in the UK," she suggested.
Blimey. That was a bit rad. I stared blankly into the middle distance for thirteen whole seconds before asking (perplexedly), "but why would we have a holiday in the UK? It's crap. Proper holidays have planes involved."
"It's the UK or nothing," Sarah stated resolutely, "but I will find us somewhere cool to stay."
"Ok ....... Deal," I said, acquiescing in the face of resolutednessness.
"And my friend Gary would also like to come," she added.
"Double deal," I replied. [Marvellous. Gary was a teacher at the same school as Sarah, and a cracking laugh].
True to her word, Sarah managed to procure a holiday destination down in the south of England (in the county of Cornwall-shire), and because I am like Mother Theresa, except that my bra has got more up-lift, I have got some photographs for you .............
Pic.No.2 The holiday posse. Izzy, Gary and Sarah. If she wasn't 7, I would have suspected Izzy of having met-amphetamine on her thumb
Pic.No.3 The holiday destination ....... the southern-most tip of the UK ...... Cornwall
After a five hour drive (we could have flown to Moscow in that time), we finally arrived at the Par Sands Holiday Site, where Sarah had booked us a caravan for the week.
It was with trepidation that I registered our arrival with the site's reception, because the last time I had stayed in a caravan, I had found someone else's toenail clippings on the bathroom floor, and the whole place smelt of dog piss.
Pic.No.4 Man alive, was I pleasantly surprised when we entered our caravan? (which looked like a wooden lodge from the outside) ...... this was the lounge area
Pic.No.5 This was the kitchen. It was like a trendy Manhattan apartment. Sarah did good when she chose this one
Pic.No.6 This was the bedroom that Izzy and I shared. It had a dressing room and an en-suite bathroom ..... in a caravan! I know! [gratuitous use of exclamation marks forgiven under the cirumstances?]
Pic.No.7 This was the view of Par Bay from our caravan window. We were a minute's walk from the beach but I didn't go there because it was gritty and there were bits floating in the sea
Pic.No.7a This is what our lodge looked like from the outside. (ok, it's not our exact lodge. I nicked this picture off the internet. But our lodge was very similar)
After arriving, we all slumped on the sofas, recovering from the long drive ... and then debated what we should do tomorrow. We pored over the brightly coloured tourist brochures that were displayed in the caravan.
Following much pondering, luckily, I won. Not being one for sunbathing, I suggested that we visit a Tin Mine (that'll keep the rays at bay). And Gary and Sarah were up for it ..... so here goes dahlink ................
Pic.No.8 The was the entrance to the car park of the Poldark Tin Mine
Pic.No.9 This is Gary and Izzy posing outside the entrance to the Tin Mine itself
Pic.No.10 Just inside the Poldark Tin Mine complex, there was this beautiful piece of machinery ..... a 'tin crusher' powered by a water wheel
Pic.No.11 The whole Tin Mine had been beautifully landscaped and was probably a highly sanitised version of the original mine
Pic.No.12 This was the entrance (the underground bit) to the Poldark Tin Mine. You can see the tower with the big, red pump on it ....... I am not sure what it pumped
Pic.No.13 Aha, it's me and Izzy waiting to enter the depths of the mine
Pic.No.14 The hooligan had what appeared to be a woefully small head. It took us ages to find a helmet that fit her
Pic.No.15 These ancient tools were displayed in the entrance of the mine. Apparently there was pre-historic evidence of tin being mined in this area. Not only that, records relating to this particular site go back until 1493 AD. That's older than my house which was built in 1546 AD
Pic.No.16 Finally, we entered the mine itself .....
Pic.No.17 It was a myriad of small tunnels ...... and although the lights were powered by electricity, in the olden days, the only light would have come from the dim tallow candles mounted on the brim of the miner's helmets
Pic.No.18 Hurrah, I love pictures with me in
Pic.No.19 Tunnels, tunnels everywhere ....... if you want to do a 'Lord Lucan' .... Poldark Tin Mine is the place to go
Pic.No.20 The tunnels went on for miles ..... and dropped 190 feet into the ground .........
Pic.No.21 Even Sarah had to crouch down to get through some of the tunnels. And she is a short-arse measuring just 5'1" (154cm)
Pic.No.22 Gary heads down the tiny stairs into the bowels of the earth .........
Pic.No.23 And it kept on going down ...... and down
Pic.No.24 Hurrah! It's me again. I am nearly at the bottom of the mine
Pic.No.25 If you look up at the fractures in the rock, you can see how the staircases have been threaded into the seam ..... amazing. But even more amazing is the fact that when the mine was still active, the miners used to descend using wooden ladders ....... there were no staircases
Pic.No.26 The miners used to work in these small holes, extracting the tin with a hammer and chisel. Once they had exhausted their supply, they would dig another hole in the rock to begin the process again
Pic.No.27 This is Gary's bum. He was working his way upwards from the depths of the mine (through a tiny tunnel that we had to crawl through). There was water gushing down the steps as we tried to ascend
Pic.No.28 We finally reached a chamber towards the top of the mine. It had a postbox in it. The Poldark Tin Mine claimed that this was the 'deepest postbox in the UK', and as such, had a distinctive postmark
Pic.No.29 As we exited the Tin Mine, we passed an exhibition which showed that the miners had close links with the US and Canada ..... apparently the early miners had gone over there to show how mining should be done
Pic.No.30 After emerging from the darkness of the mine ..... we were met (again) with pretty gardens
Pic.No.31 More gardeney type stuff
Pic.No.32 But then the fun commenced. Sarah noticed that there was a 'gold panning' activity just outside the tin mine. So we all immediately bought a ticket. This is a picture of Iz panning for gold / gems
Pic.No.33 This was Sarah panning for Gold / gems .... it got competitive quite quickly
Pic.No.34 The minute the gold panning started, Gary never looked up. He was a man on a mission
Pic.No.35 Bloody hell ..... we managed to find loads of gems ...... unfortunately none of them were worth anything
Pic.No.36 And finally we headed back to the caravan where Sarah instigated a game of Scrabble with Izzy. That's the bonus of going on holiday with teachers .... instand child entertainment. Woo hoo!
So dahlink, I have more Cornish tales to come .... but in the meantime, what have you been up to in your holidays?
You're brave going down there!
ReplyDeleteHiya Katie ..... welcome! Do you mean I am brave going down the mine, or going down to Cornwall? ;-)
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I would be scared out if my mind being in that mine!
ReplyDeleteWell, now you've gone and done it, haven't you? After reading this, I REALLY want to go down a tin mine! It looked enormously interesting. The current Mrs Masher ain't gonna be happy when I change next year's holiday from the south of France to Cornwall.
ReplyDeleteDown the mine! Doesn't look like any bravery was needed for the caravan! And for Izzy: I think "Le Geek c'est chic!"
ReplyDeleteOk.. I would be waiting at the top for you all.. Miss Claustrophobia....
ReplyDeleteThat looks so like Mom & Dad's place inside.. apart from their beach house as they like to call it is on the North coast!.. we should bally go when I'm next over!
I would be scared out if my mind being in that mine!
ReplyDeleteNowt to be scared of! Having said that, I am glad the lighting didn't pack up!
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You flamin' great wuss! Ha ha, so their beach house is really a caravan then?!
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Aw my gawd - don't go encouraging her with the sock thingy! The mine was ace - don't you fancy it?
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Eh up Mash, I reckon you would totally love it down the mine. It was fab! Make sure you duck when you tell Mrs M about the change of plans ;-)
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You wouldn't see me going down that mine, my father and my brother were coal miners and they told me what it was like.
ReplyDeleteI had a week in Normandy but we did absolutely nothing which was the whole point, so it was good.
If I'd known you wanted some gems like that I coulda given you some. We still have plenty from our rodeo debacle a couple of years ago.
ReplyDeleteAs to the mine, better you than I. I get claustrophobia in places like that. That's why I had to give up my commission as the captain of a nuclear sub. That and the fact that I lost the keys once.
Wild horse would not have got me down there, maybe a few naked women but not wild horses!!!
ReplyDeleteLooks a great place to visit, so many bumpy bits to drop your iPhone on or against and you appear to have missed the lot, very remiss of you.
By the way did you get my email with comments on the iPad as requested?
I thought you would have been quite adventurous and liked it! it is the claustrophobia? I did get your email - thanks very much for that. I just haven't had chance to reply yet. I am still debating about the iPad!!
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Of course, I remember the gold panning rodeo. Really, was that a couple of years ago? Blimey how time flies.
ReplyDeleteShame about the nuclear sub .... although it made me laugh!
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Flippin' hek, your brothers and dad were miners? Respect due. I have been down two mines now, and I can't imagine a more hostile environment to work in!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a fab holiday - Normandy - very nice! What did you stay in?
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You should get one I mean look at the size of the thing to break and so many ways it could be done the possibilities would be endless.
ReplyDeleteI did a trip round some caves in North Devon once and that was interesting but I am a lover of views rather than tunnels.
Just starting a few busy weeks at the railway with steam and diesel galas plus a 1940's weekend, it's all go....
My father was a coal hewer in the days before the pits had showers.
ReplyDeleteWe stayed in a super Gite in Préaux du Perche. I can highly recommend a stay there.
Caravanning is not what it was in the 1970s.
ReplyDeleteI loved this statement: 'Proper holidays have planes involved.' I keep telling Brahm we did not have a true honeymoon as it only met one of two criteria: yes, we flew in a plane; however, we did not fly over water / ocean (flying over water / ocean to land at the airport does not count).
ReplyDeleteI have been in an underground coal mine in Grande Cache, Alberta (it was work-related). I was terrified. They asked us to turn the lights on our helmets off and it was completely black! Some of your pictures of the narrow passages with low heights reminded me of walking in the pyramids.
Loved Izzy's 'first-day-of-school' picture!
What the hell is "quaffing bolly"?... I think I may have done that in college years...
ReplyDeleteBrings back fond memories of my own childhood where once a week I was allowed to pan for gold in a special box filled with sand. Talk about applying spin to what was to all intents and purposes cleaning the flipping cat box.
ReplyDeleteI love Cornwall and those lodges look quality. I'm going to have to follow that link methinks :-)
ReplyDeleteLooks as if a great time was had by all. The mine looks amazing, I love anything like that. have you been down the mine at Blaenavon, it really is a must thing to do? Shame that school has started back else we could have had more mother / daughter adventures.
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough, I have been down the mine in Blaenavon because my Dad and Wicked Stepmama have a house there. It was bigger than the Cornish one, but equally fun.
ReplyDeleteMore mother / daughter adventures coming. I just haven't had time to put pen to paper in recent months!!
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Yes, it was thanks to your very, very kind dad and "WICKED" Stepmama that we had the chance to visit Blaenavon and the Big Pit as we stayed in their cottage a few years back now and had a great time. The Goose and Cuckoo was especially good.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I am MOVING TO THE UK!!! Always having holidays!!! And I love using as many exclamation marks as I can!!
ReplyDeleteSecondly, just how adorable is Izzy! I know how proud you must be , Annie. (see I don't always have to use !!!)
Thirdly, I always feel I have to be 'smart-assyish' when replying........????
Fourthly, I, like Sarah, love scrabble!
And lastly but not leastly, great post about tin mining and I am glad on behalf of all Canadians that the miners taught us a thing or two about mining.
Oh? Really?
ReplyDeleteUh oh Brahm. I think you might've been sprung!
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Hey matey, never feel the need to be smart-assyish when visiting....... it's just cool to have you stop round ;-)
ReplyDeleteCome to the UK! With yours, Rons and Sophie's leisure time, and my penchant for holidays .... we could have a blast if we combined the two!
I am not suprised that you are good at scrabble .... you are a deep thinker. I would be really good at it too if they allowed more rude words.
He he! Just for clarification, the "wicked" bit in Wicked Stepmama is ironic because she is the least wicked person on the planet. You already know that, so I thought I would just point it out for others in case they thought I had a vendetta or sommat!
ReplyDeleteThe Goose and Cuckoo? I don't know that. Is it in Blaenavon?
What link is that then? I haven't accidentally done another dogging one have I?!
ReplyDeleteIt was lovely, but I recommend going abroad if the budget stretches ... the weather is just too bloody variable over here.
Brahm ...... shame on you. I thought we were partners in crime when it came to doing classy stuff. Bolly ...... you know ..... Bollinger .... fine champagne dahlink mwaaah!
ReplyDeleteGreetings dahlink! You know what .... you are absolutely bloody right about your honeymoon. Not only do you have to get on a plane, but you have to fly over water. And (another rule which I have just added), you have to go to a different country.
ReplyDeleteSo where was your honeymoon then? I don't remember hearing about that. But because it didn't follow the rules, maybe you will have to have a re-match? eh? See what I did there [taps side of nose in a know fashion]!
Man alive, I am with you about the mines .... I couldn't believe how black it was when they turned the lights off. I would bloody love to see your pics of the pyramids ........ really, have you been in them (the Egyptian ones?) ..... that is uber cool ;-)
To the point and bloody funny ...... as always! You make me laugh Fran ;-)
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha! you were jibbed! Didn't you get suspicious when you discovered that the 'gold' was a tad on the squishy side?!
ReplyDeleteAnnie, you are correct Dawn is one of the nicest, kindest most thoughtful people I've had the pleasure to meet, as is you Dad. They have both helped me out on many an occasion and I like that I can call them friends because they are the best they really are....The Goose and Cuckoo is about two or three miles as the crow flies from Blaenavon but to get to it in a car is more like ten, up hill, down dale and along very, very narrow roads. Well worth a visit the food is divine, all home made including the ice cream....
ReplyDeleteha! I actually do not drink (long story), but bring on the pizza and fries!
ReplyDeleteI shall put it on my bucket list and next time I am there ..... I shall visit the Goose and Cuckoo! Thanks for the tip Pete ;-)
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